Luke 5:4-11 - "Do Not Be Afraid"

We are looking in Luke 5 where Jesus is in the process of calling His first group of disciples to follow Him. Jesus is in the boat with Peter and Andrew. James and John are in their boat alongside them catching the largest number of fish they have ever caught in their professional commercial fishing business. Now Jesus is asking them to leave that and follow Him.   When you read this passage in Luke 5 and compare it to what Matthew wrote in Matthew 4 you might notice it appears to be somewhat different. Matthew 4:18-25 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. Great multitudes followed Him--from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.”   I personally believe that Matthew is speaking about an earlier meeting Jesus has with these four men when He first begins His ministry in the region of Galilee. If you remember in John’s Gospel in chapter one, Jesus initially met John, Andrew, and Peter at His baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptizer. We could call this, “their salvation experience”. They then when back up to their fishing business in Galilee. But from the Jordan, Jesus went into the wilderness and was tempted by the devil for forty days. It was after His temptation that Jesus then when up to the region of Galilee and again connected to these four men as Matthew describes it.   The brothers Peter and Andrew, James and John, were back fishing when Jesus walks upon them and gives them the call to “Follow Me”, which they did. They went with Him throughout the region of Galilee watching Him healing the sick, catching out demons, and teaching in the synagogues. Now in Luke’s Gospel, they have returned to Capernaum with the crowds following them and this is where these four men returned to their fishing business and a night of fishing where they caught nothing.   It is here that Jesus performs the miracle of calling a great number of fish into their nets and then giving to then telling them, “"Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men." So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.” (vs. 10-11). It is interesting to me that at their initial calling to “Follow Me” in Matthew’s Gospel, Peter and Andrew were “casting their nets”, and James and John were “mending their nets”. What a picture of how the Lord later would use them in their ministries. Peter and Andrew are casting the Gospel net and bringing people to Jesus. James, the first pastor of the church in Jerusalem, and John are used by the Lord to shepherd and care for the people that are coming to Jesus.   It is amazing how the Lord uses our spiritual gifts, our heart desires, our abilities, our personality, and our past experiences, to fulfill our calling as His disciples! Yes, Jesus finds us where we are, He loves us, and calls us to simply follow Him, and then He prepares us, and then works through us to do amazing things if we obey and yield our lives to Him. Are you fearful of following Jesus today? Jesus says, "Do not be afraid.”   How is the Lord working through you today?   God bless!